Initially brought in on trial at seperate times, Dick and Dilworth were
leased to the Fat Controller’s North Western Freight division in 2007.Dick
is arrogant, opinionated and highly strung, whilst Dilworth is the more docile and content of the two.However, the two together have a very mischievous side, particularly when faced with the prospect of tormenting
Crabby the Crane at Tidmouth Harbour.

Part of the early batch
of Class 66 Diesel locomotives built by General Motors in Canada, Dick and Dilworth arrived on British shores in 1998 as EWS
Railways’ 66009 and 66010 respectively, as part of the company’s bid to revolutionise British Railfrieght, and
replace the ailing locomotives that the company had inherited when it acquired its freight franchises from British Railways
following privatisiation.

Prior to being acquired for the NWR Freight division, Dick and Dilworth had each served on
the North Western Railway at separate intervals. Dick was brought in for initial trials in 2004 (ERS 101 – EBLA),
and gave the board confidence in the performance of the Class 66 machines. Classmate Dilworth (66010) arrived as part of a
longer-term deal in 2004 (ERS 108 – LOTCE), staying for a year to run freight services and further the trials
and findings that had begun with Dick.

Impressed with the findings, upon the establishment of NWR Freight in 2006,
the two Diesels were earmarked to become the backbone of the company’s operations on the Mainland. Around 2006, Tidmouth’s
container terminal had been completed and additional locomotives were needed that could haul trains all the way to Carnforth
- steam was out of the question as suitable facilities for servicing them could not be promised with any reliability, so EWS
agreed to lease two engines on a long-term basis. Mechanically reliable and hard-working but 'high-spirited', they can be
a handful when placed together.

Owing to their Canadian manufacture, servicing at Crovan’s Gate can be problematic.
On more than one occasion, British tools have proven ineffective in loosening American designed nuts and bolts. However, problems
can also arise from tricks the engines play themselves when they convince the engineers that their engines are ‘on’
and ready for movement, when they really aren’t...

In spite of their high-spirited natures, Dick and Dilworth
have allowed NWR Freight to compete effectively with other freight operators in the UK, working out of the NWR’s yard
in Barrow-in-Furness, transporting goods traffic across Sodor and on to the Mainland network.

Dick and Dilworth are based on the Class 66 Diesel locomotives built for EWS from 1997 onward,
which have sparked a revolution in the way rail freight is carried out within the UK and in other territories across the world
where they also find use.

The three Class 60 Diesels were brought in as part of NW Freight's initiative
to expand operations, and for the Fat Controller's own interest of preserving part of the class prior to the engines being
withdrawn as part of plans by EWS and other train operating companies. However, the desire to survive that burned within
D16, Procor, would serve him a number of problems throughout 2009...

RAILWAY
OF ORIGIN: British Railways

LOCO TYPE:
Class 60 Diesel

RWS/ERS
ENTRY VOLUMES:ERS #151 - Procor the Diesel Engine

DATE
OF ENTRY: 2009

WHEEL ARRANGEMENT: CO-CO

CURRENT
LIVERY: Red with Gold / Yellow Lining & Logos

CURRENT
STATUS: Operational

CREATORS: Simon Martin

The Sodor based class
60s were delivered to Crovan's Gate Works in 2008, with one (60066) having been purchased outright. Locomotives 60018 and
60117 were hired from DBS, with a view to purchase should their performance on the Sodor Oil and Tar traffic prove satisfactory.

60066 was taken into the NWR stocklist as D16, and was painted a jet black livery, with small yellow warning panel
and orange flashes at each cab end. Nameplates were affixed to each side - Procor of Wakfield, commemorating the company
which had built the bodyshells for the class. It was then taken on trial, while its compatriot, 60117 was repaired for further
use. 60018 had been delivered without its start up key, and was left languishing on shed for several days before starting
its trials.

D16 was involved in several strange incidents shortly after returning to service. A fitter had left a fueling
pipe attached, and D16 was reversed out of the Tidmouth Diesel Depot, pulling the hose from the ground, and allowing red diesel
fuel to spill out into the shed. It is not known what started the fire (sparks from nearby NWR no.73 were originally suspected),
but within seconds the shed was ablaze, and whilst no equipment was lost, the NWR's unique Co-Bo was badly damaged.

D16
was later withdrawn, following a complete engine failure, just outside the main Tidmouth motive power depot. At this point,
the engine had completed several satisfactory runs, and its compatriots were working well enough to justify the expenditure
for purchase. D17 (60117) was given the Procor end of D16's nameplates, and D18 (60018) was given the Wakefield
end of the same nameplates. The two diesels were given unique liveries - D17 received a commemorative "Great Western Green"
livery, complete with brass numberplates, whilst D18 received the standard NWR blue, with red lining. "NW Freight" was applied
in decals to both sides of each engine.

The two diesels performed admirably for a time, until D17 suffered a similar
engine failure to D16. Replacement units were sought, purchased, and fitted, whilst D18 continued to haul heavy freight trains
with the residents D9 and D10.

D16 and D17 were brought back into traffic within days of each other, D16 being painted
for a short period in the same livery as D18. Thus followed a short period of extensive trialling: D16 was fitted with a new
set of radiators, and fan mechanisms, and was failed several times due to an intake of soot and smoke from the resident steam
engines. This experimental system was retained until the Wellsworth derailment, where D16 managed to acquit itself for its
previous failures.

All three diesels were overhauled at Crovan's Gate with an improved cooling system, and were officially
named Procor of Wakefield/John Logie Baird (D16), Spartan (D17) and Wakefield (D18) in a ceremony celebrating
the success of NW Freight in late 2009. The three engines now wear historic liveries, branded with NW Freight decals, as follows:
BR Railfreight Grey, Great Western Commemorative Green and "Teenage Spirit" Blue livery.

In the 1980s, British Rail decided it had a requirement
for a high powered Type 5 diesel locomotive for use on its Trainload Freight sector. In August 1987, the British Rail Board
issued a competitive tender for response by 7 November, for a fleet of 100 locomotives. Of the bidders, Brush Traction was
selected, and an order placed for 100 locomotives.

Brush sub-contracted parts construction, with final construction
at Brush's erecting shops at Loughborough. The bodyshells, shared with the Class 92 electric locomotives, were fabricated
by Procor (UK) of Wakefield. The first locomotive was delivered in June 1989.

By 1990, the class had started to be
introduced onto the mainline, replacing previously double headed Class 33 Type 3s in the South East region, as well as Classes
20, 26, 27, 31 and 73. The class 60s primarily worked on aggregate (specifically stone) traffic also replacing Class 56s and
Class 58s, some of which were withdrawn, others transferred.

Initially operations were split between British Rail Load-Haul,
Trans-Rail and Mainline Freight divisions. Their introduction replaced double-heading and also allowed longer and/or heavier
trains to be worked.

Following the privatization of British Rail, all 100 units came under the management of the English,
Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS), which in June 2007 was itself acquired by DB Schenker, a wholly owned subsidiary of the
German railway company, Deutsche Bahn AG.

Since working for EWS/DB Schenker, Class 60s have typically been employed
on stone, aggregate, ballast and petroleum traffic and also on steel trains. As of 2009, many Class 60s have been in storage,
with only fifteen in operation at any one time. In September 2010 twenty of the class were offered for disposal by DB
Schenker UK, however, in a reversal of fortunes, a class of Super 60s was announced in 2011.

The large, loud but friendly diesel, Growler is an old friend
of BoCo's, but his first visit to Sodor wasn't a pleasant one. He became victim of an accident and was almost withdrawn from
service. But he was soon proved innocent thanks to the other engines, and years later he was bought into North Western ownership.

Growler was one of
the first batches built in the 1960's as part of the Dieselisation Plan, his name deprived from a nickname given to all Class
37's because of the sounds of their engines. Most of his working life was largely based on transporting heavy long-distance
goods train. During this year he became friendly with BoCo and the two became firm friends until BoCo's unexpected purchase
to Sodor in 1965. Since then, Growler's life went on as normal and performed exceptionally well, which saw him pass the cutter's
torch several times before; although he has been updated to suit the changing of the ways on BR, lack of proper TLC from the
Mainland Workers made his working life difficult.

He was eventually sold to the EWS company where (although neither
engine knew this yet) he worked alongside Dick, who described him as a “cantankerous old spamcan”, not realising
just how old Growler was to understand his reasons for complaint.In a twist of fate, Growler wound on on Sodor, which
changed his life for the better – reunited with BoCo and Dick again, he had the misfortune to fall victim to railway
vandals (MDE), which resulted in a very near-miss with the Express. Full examination of the incident showed up Growler's age,
with the authorities simply putting down lack of maintenance as the cause. And it would have been the end of Growler...until
Donald and Douglas caught the true culprits and proved his innocence. In a good-will gesture, the Fat Controller offered to
have Growler properly serviced at his Works before sending him back home.

However, whilst
overseeing his repairs, the Fat Controller was amazed at the track record and capabilities that Growler's class have, and
after speaking to his owner, he managed to buy Growler to join NW Freight's fleet in 2010. In addition to running trains over
to the Mainland, Growler, along with Wendell the Works Diesel, has also been fitted with special ERTMS equipment, allowing
him to help out on the Peel Godred Electric Branch Line as well.

The Class 37s are the longest serving diesel classes on the Mainland, some well over 50 years old,
with many preserved on Heritage Railways or Preservation Groups. They became the main motive power behind Intercity Services
in East Anglia and within Scotland, performing on good trains as well as passengers. Their designs are loosely based on the
Class 40 and Class 23 “Baby Deltics”.